Latest news with #militaryhistory
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Here is every rifle Marines have used in the last 250 years
There are many like it — 18, in fact. A new scrolling feature posted on the Marine Corps website walks through a vital string of identity to the Corps: a history of every rifle model that any Marine has ever carried. The scrolling post rolls through all 18 of the standardized, issued long guns that Marines have fought with, from the flintlock muskets of the Continental Navy to the legendary M1 Garands used across the Pacific in World War II, and the full family tree of the M16 and its variants, like the post-9/11 M4 and the current M27. The post is part of the Marine Corps' celebration of its 250th birthday, and it's a great visual review for both hardcore Marine infantry history buffs as well as those who can't tell a bolt carrier group from a frizzen spring. The unique release was put together by Marine Sgt. James Stanfield, with two staffers at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Virginia: Jonathan Bernstein, the museum's Arms & Armor Curator, and Bruce Allen, the Museum Specialist (Ordnance). In an interview Monday, Bernstein told Task & Purpose he oversees the museum's collection of over 3,500 firearms and 2,500 edged weapons. The rifles and muskets on the list, Bernstein said, may not cover every one-off long gun issued as a personal weapon to Marines, but those on the list were selected because of 'the number in service and their technological significance.' 'With each you can see the evolution of ammunition, the ignition system, and rate of fire,' he said. The post begins with the 'Brown Bess,' a British-made musket used by Marines in the pre-revolutionary Continental Navy. 'The Brown Bess was pretty much idiot-proof,' said Bernstein, and nearly every able-bodied man in the pre-Revolutionary colonies would be familiar with it as part of a militia. 'With that, you go from 2, maybe 3 rounds per minute with a .75 caliber ball.' As the American Revolution split U.S. forces from English supplies, early Marines upgraded to the French-made Charleville and its .60 caliber ball, which allowed troops to carry slightly more rounds. The first U.S.-produced musket was the Springfield model 1795, named for the year the Marines took it up. With a self-contained ignition system, Bernstein said, Marines 'could fire a little bit faster. Not a lot, but it does take out some steps.' Muskets remained the frontline personal weapon for Marines through the Civil War, until the arrival of the Winchester-Lee lever-action rifle. 'That is really the first revolutionary weapon the Marine Corps uses,' said Bernstein. The gun featured a rifled barrel, an internal magazine and shot a 6mm round. 'This really revolutionized Marine Corps capability as far as precision marksmanship, because you could now fire a small bullet at extremely high speed to a much longer range and accurately,' he said. The list also includes the bolt-action Springfield rifle commonly used in World War I and for decades after, the M1 Garand — the Corps' first self-reciprocating rifle — from World War II, and the Vietnam-era M16. The Corps' latest M16-variant, the M27, was fielded to infantry units beginning in 2010 as a replacement for the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, and was adopted as an M4 replacement in 2018. Non-infantry Marines still carry the M4 or M16A4. The message being sent by the Marine Corps is hard to miss: If every Marine is a rifleman, then there's a rifle for every Marine. UPDATE, 7/7/2025: This article was updated with comments from Jonathan Bernstein, the Arms & Armor Curator at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. The latest on Task & Purpose Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps learns an old lesson: Don't mess with Audie Murphy A breakdown of safety procedures 'directly contributed' to an 82nd Airborne paratrooper's death WWII Marine Raider who fought at Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal wants cards for 100th birthday Navy identifies special warfare sailor killed while parachuting Pentagon appears to pause renaming of Navy ships Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
15-07-2025
- General
- New York Times
Found: A Lost George Washington Battlefield
Around 1787, George Washington sat down to write some notes for a biographer. He was not a man given to self-reflection. But he wanted to correct the record about his experiences three decades earlier during the French and Indian War, when he had led a regiment of Virginia militiamen fighting alongside the British on what was then the rugged western frontier. It was not all glory. In one passage, Washington recalled the terrible, foggy evening of Nov. 12, 1758. He and his men had ventured from Fort Ligonier, a British redoubt about 60 miles from present-day Pittsburgh, to help another group of Virginians push back a French raiding party but instead ignited a devastating volley of friendly fire. Several dozen were injured, and as many as 14 killed, before Washington, by his account, rode between the two groups of Virginians, knocking away their muskets. Washington, who was 26 at the time, had already had several horses shot out from under him, and during the American Revolution would go on to face British fire more than once. But never, he recalled, had his life been 'in more imminent danger' than on that evening near Fort Ligonier. The friendly fire incident, as the episode is known, is a footnote in the history of the French and Indian War, and merits only a paragraph or two in most Washington biographies. But it has long been part of the lore in this part of western Pennsylvania, where a reconstruction of Fort Ligonier opened in 1953. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
BBC News
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Hereford's military history festival announce first line-up
The UK's first military history festival has announced the full line-up for its debut event including actor Larry festival, in Hereford, will feature talks and panel discussions about conflict and the lessons history provides in a time of global instability. Events announced include EastEnders star Lamb sharing a selection of his favourite war poems, authors Anne Sebba and Wendy Holden discussing their books on Auschwitz and podcaster Mark Lynas talking about his new book Six Minutes to event will be held across three venues in the city - Hereford Cathedral, The Green Dragon Hotel and the Castle Green Pavilion - and run from 26-28 September. Other highlights, organisers say, include ex-Army officer Chris Hunter giving a first-hand insight into working for a bomb disposal festival will also feature discussions with Kate Adie, Philippe Sands, Claire Mulley and Conn Iggulden, as well as exploring global military history through a variety of themes.A schools programme aimed at helping young people get a better understanding of the role of military history in world events will also be offered, organisers and chief executive Christian Dangerfield said it was exciting to see the festival take shape and receive a positive response."Audiences from near and far will be able to plan three days of fascinating and enriching military history - from ancient Rome to today's Ukraine - in one of Britain's most historic cities," he full 2025 programme can be viewed on the Hereford Military History Festival website. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Wall Street Journal
11-07-2025
- General
- Wall Street Journal
Anna Mae Robertson, Member of WWII's ‘Six Triple Eight' Unit, Dies at 101
In April, House Speaker Mike Johnson presided over a ceremony at the Capitol to award the Congressional Gold Medal to one of the most idiosyncratic and industrious units that served America during World War II. The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, nicknamed 'the Six Triple Eight,' was composed of 855 Black women, the only Women's Army Corps unit of Black women deployed overseas during the war. The 6888th was sent to England in 1945 to clear a monstrous backlog of undelivered mail for American service members: some 17 million individual pieces of mail, many of them incompletely addressed, which had piled up in a forbidding shambles for roughly three years, effectively cutting off troops from their loved ones back home.
Free Malaysia Today
03-07-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
New book celebrates 90 years of the valiant Royal Malay Regiment
Men of the 1st Experimental Company Malay Regiment, with Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel G.M Bruce on March 3 1937. (Creative Commons pic) KUALA LUMPUR : It started with a simple question in the 1930s. The British colonial government, concerned about the security of their territory in Malaya, wondered: 'Were the Malays capable of forming an effective modern fighting force?' An experiment was proposed. In 1933, a group of 25 Malay recruits were assigned to train with British officers in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan as part of the 1st Experimental Company. They would later form the Malay Regiment. This valiant group of dedicated men surpassed all the expectations of their superiors, and rose to become the country's most iconic Malaysian military unit. Known today as the Royal Malay Regiment, this intrepid fighting force has served the country in many of its most turbulent periods, including the first Malayan Emergency (1948-1960); the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation (1962-1966); the 2nd Malaysian Insurgency (1968-1989); and the Sarawak Communist Insurgency (1962-1990). This year marks the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Malay Regiment, and a new book has been published to mark this milestone. 'The Malay Experiment: The Colonial Origins and Homegrown Heroism of the Malay Regiment' is a comprehensive account of the origins of this military unit, and details the bravery, loyalty and sacrifices of its men. Author Stuart Lloyd at a book signing. (Stuart Lloyd pic) Author Stuart Lloyd said his latest work is not a 'war book' but one about human stories. 'All my books are about the human spirit. About the people, good or bad, at the heart of the stories. I don't like talking so much about statistics, or numbers of troops in a battle. I prefer writing whether this person was crapping his pants as the enemies descended,' Lloyd told FMT Lifestyle with a laugh. Lloyd, a sixth-generation Southern African, was born in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) before emigrating to South Africa, then Australia. He has lived in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, and Thailand for nearly 25 years. The author has conducted special-interest military history tours through Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, and has written 21 non-fiction books which have topped best-seller charts in three countries. 'The Malay Experiment', Lloyd's fifth military history book, is a slim, 94-page book that will intrigue and captivate both military enthusiasts and casual readers alike. Published by CatMatDog Storytelling, it features a foreword by Brigadier General Mohamed Arshad Raji (Retired), a distinguished member of the Regiment. The cover of 'The Malay Experiment: The Colonial Origins and Homegrown Heroism of the Malay Regiment'. (CatMatDog Storytelling pic) The book's pages are populated with colourful personalities. The Malay Regiment's commanding officer, Captain George McIllree Stanton Bruce, almost feels like a character from a Hollywood blockbuster: a rugged World War hero with a jagged scar on his face. Bruce, however, proves adept at winning over his recruits: not only does he speak Malay, he also designs the regiment's iconic insignia, uniform and 'Taat dan setia' (faithful and true) motto. 'There could have been a clash of cultures. But ultimately, the story resolves itself through cultural sensitivity, which I think led to the eventual success of the regiment,' said Lloyd. 'Their uniform was localised, integrating part of the sarong, and colours significant to the Malays. These really showed the recruits this was something they could call their own, that their unit was not just a British transplant.' One of the most relatable parts of the book are details of Bruce's successful methods of attracting early recruits: 'Good soldiers need good food,' he (Bruce) reflected. 'I think more recruits were obtained by the words 'Makan ada baik' (our food is good) than by 'Ta'at setia''. Other fascinating characters making appearances are Raja Lope, the adopted son of a Sultan who rises from private to brigadier, and Lt Adnan Saidi, who valiantly sacrificed his life fighting Japanese invaders at the battle of Pasir Panjang. The crest of the Malay Regiment. ( pic) The book's engaging narrative takes readers from the fall of Singapore to the climactic battle of Bukit Chandu and the glorious parades of Merdeka. It's clear that the story of the Malay Regiment is not over yet: it will be interesting to see how it continues to serve the nation into the future. Lloyd said the story of the Malay Regiment developed in parallel with the story of Malaysia, with both the country and military unit growing in strength and confidence over the years. 'I think the Malay Regiment is a success story Malaysians can all take pride in. I will make the point that they outperformed many British and Australian regiments in Singapore at the time,' the author concluded. 'It's a moving account of how a culture, previously untested in warfare, managed to stand up and show the world what they could do.' 'The Malay Experiment' is available at selected bookstores nationwide. Also visit Stuart Lloyd's website.
